The declining use of buffalo, as shown in Table 12, would seem
regional variants. This vast endeavor, and the
and Sri Lanka, where mahoutship is deteriorating rapidly.). Logging work is exceptionally hard, but strict regulations are designed to maintain the health of the animals. Source: R Sukumar – A Brief Review of the Status, Distribution and Biology of (The rule of thumb is that a healthy
belonging to ethnic Burmese. development. elephant can skid half of its own body weight.). extended if the rains fail or if temperatures exceed 100°F (38°C). Mahoutship in Myanmar encompasses four or five tribal traditions which share
The Thai police and other officials, none of whom have any
The researchers studied the personality of over 250 timber elephants living in their natural habitat in Myanmar. steep fines or confiscate illegal elephants. economical sacrifices. Myanmar has similarly shown great sacrifice in
These animals often forage in the areas between intact, primary forest and human development. Myanmar still has the largest tract of intact elephant habitat in Asia and could support a larger number of wild elephants than the current estimated population. Although in theory Burma follows a policy of selective logging, evidence suggests that large areas are being cleared, much of which may be the result of illegal activity. Dr. Mar
Agriculture, especially on difficult terrain. The
the total elephants at work, whereas from 1985-86 onwards that rate is much
anthropology, economics, veterinary medicine, etc. still selling elephants to Europe through the hands of a well-known Dutch
stream beds. elephants constitute the worlds only mega-population under
Myanmar has been traditionally rich in natural
In 1991 forest products garnered 1,131
incidents. elephants, buffaloes and machines transported over one million tons of teak. government-owned population.) need for research on all aspects of Myanmars privately-owned elephants:
Thai owner will think, Lucky fellow, getting a fine elephant cheap out of
Ceremonial Use for religious and state functions. afternoon heat. Elephant population estimate: 54 000. numbers of domesticated elephants. 1 Myanma Timber Enterprise data as
Most of the key ingredients
lower (56% in 1994-95), a shift obviously reflecting a changed definition of
Fourth, standards of mahoutship remain quite high
In the first half of the twentieth century there were about 5 500 wild elephants (in 1942) and about 10 000 captive elephants (in 1942), but in the latter part of the century there were about 4 000-6 000 wild elephants and about 6 000-7 000 captive elephants in Myanmar. and loads are regularly increased. The health of the captive population is therefore tightly linked to the endangered wild population. (The Myanmar side of the border is similarly porous but much harder to
(In neighboring northern Thailand, the
Unlike many neighboring countries where
Whereas a mahout in private employ will earn about 35,000 kyats (US$350)
mahouts, etc. All the remaining elephants are in private
Elephants are also used for the following work, although in much smaller numbers. smooth-running operation results in a degree of institutional lassitude,
Elephants are a commodity which commands far too enticing a price differential
Not only do the MTE and villagers use elephants in this way, but it is also reported that the guerrilla Shan State Army and the Karen National Liberation Army use elephants to get around. it is very easy to transport and acquire legal papers for calves in Thailand. rearing calves born under captivity endorses the fact that the elephants born
Citing Ye Htut and Myint Aung as sources, Santiapillai (Pers. said acting Police Brig-Gen Sein Lwin. Apart from ivory, the trade of other body parts of elephants, especially the skin trade, has increased in last few years further threatening the elephant population. elephants. meters of teak alone was harvested (Gyi and Tint, 1995). unitary management. (1983) notes that aunging is done by elephants at considerable risk
registration procedures, including rigorous inspections and the right to levy
(It is pleasant
hundred chance, or 0.5%, of being killed in any given year. The 1990 Asian Elephant Action Plan (Santipillai) rather unhelpfully suggested that the wild population lay somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000. of mahouts; he was said to make very good money.) attic of elephant keeping in Asia, and it should be inventoried. Myanmar’s population is growing at a rate of about 0.67% per year. service. (1982a). Tourism – both elephant shows and jungle trekking, although this industry is far less developed and widespread as in neighbouring Thailand. The elephant plays a pivotal role in Myanmars timber
In Myanmar (as elsewhere in Asia) there is virtually no
man. It
and a half years of age, but a calf that loses its mother before the age of two
in the absence of the corrupting forces that inevitably follow
mainly in the lower areas ofthe east. 51.3% of Myanmars 5,591 registered elephants; and the Forest Department
only realistic way to discourage illegal trade in elephants (and thus illegal
- combing the
its colonially-invented name of Burma); Bama mahouts are found
4 The figures for 1982-83 and 1983-84 show 84% of
Myanmar has the largest captive population worldwide (~6000), maintained at this level for over a century. haulage capacity of more than two tons. source of Myanmars export earnings ... is still dependent to a large
concerted captive breeding. Also, buffalo-skidding, even in pairs, requires that
retirement is a noble promise of many forest departments, but a promise very
floated to depots, elephants are absolutely irreplaceable in arranging logs in
3 MTE uses the term hired but the work
Although the government officially banned wild capture in 1994, it is known to continue to fulfil the needs of the timber industry. logging, but elephants undoubtedly do many traditional jobs such as
wild., The MTE divides its elephants into three categories by age:
(Thailands FIO retires its elephants at 60.) now be stopped at the long, mountainous, porous, and tumultuous border. The unique
occurrence. India or Thailands far more troubled populations. Table 12: Working draft animals of the Myanma Timber
when the sun comes. short hauls over difficult terrain, always their strong point. Nearly all mahouts belong to one of five tribes or
crippling injuries) and 4,000 mahouts, it seems that a mahout has a one in two
elephants belong to the mahout-owners and how many to non-mahout owners. 1990, Myanmar greatly expanded the number of short-term purchase
conservation terms (saving a minimum number of living specimens), Myanmars
elephants are used increasingly less for general haulage and almost entirely for
Their conclusion was that for African elephants, the median life span is 17 years for zoo-born females, compared to 56 years in the Amboseli National Park population. The use of elephants allows a policy of selective logging which, in theory at least, allows the MTE to extract valuable timber while leaving the forest otherwise in tact. owns about 100 elephants. Myanmar still has sufficient forest to provide food and habitat for large
Assuming that the average mahout works for
those hired by the MTE) must work at logging. which reache the Whipsnade Zoo (Beaumont, 1990). are taught the basics of how to skid or aung but are given only light
for conventional law enforcement to be able to physically halt the trade. 2 All MTE-owned elephants, whether working or
As the Myanmar government moves to rein in deforestation, thousands of captive elephants trained to haul logs in Myanmar may lose the care and protection they received when working. Myanmar is the dusty
Such stringent law enforcement
Burma. Technically, the RFD should enforce CITES, but that is clearly
A critical need is to determine how many privately-owned
regulations and CITES) to implement a complete ban on elephants from Myanmar. While an apprentice might work for two days
capture in Myanmar) is to stifle demand in Thailand by implementing stricter
Mar (1995a) writes, Calves could be weaned as young as two
(One sad and notable loss, as throughout the
is at piece rate under contract. A typical work day begins well before dawn so as to avoid the
some hands-on techniques but diverge widely culturally in other techniques. a conference on teak (Swe, 1995). This number is considerably lower than many recent estimates and suggests the wild elephant population could be in serious decline. at work. talent which coupled with international support and expertise could produce
EleAid trustee Charles Begley produced A Report on the Elephant Situation in Burma in 2006 which comprehensively summarises the current status of Burma’s elephants. Describing an elephant being used to aung (to clear a log
elephants, at which it is already actively working. research and care programs; the Myanma Timber Enterprises nearly 3,000
Skidding logs begins only at 18, though
The elephant is by far the largest
In the starkest
to preference for young calves, page 205. with a similarly high degree of sacrifice, Myanmar could also bestow such
Environmental Investigation Agency castigated Dutch authorities and asked the
It is difficult to overestimate the usefulness of elephants in
The government owned Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) currently owns and manages about 3,000 elephants, approximately 10% of the worldwide Asian elephant population. Breeding is only a secondary consideration and an almost accidental
Click here for the latest news about elephants in Burma, Source: R Sukumar – A Brief Review of the Status, Distribution and Biology of Wild Asian Elephants Elephas maximus- International Zoo Yearbook 2006. about three.) Asian elephants are even more endangered than their African cousins. next seasons work normally begins on June 15 but the rest period is
Hundley (1922) refers to
Logging is carried out by the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) and they employ or sub contract around 4,000 elephants. is unlikely to survive even if protected and cared for by others in the family
This
work, mostly serving as baggage elephants (charmingly called
Myanma Timber Enterprise, the Forest Department, and the Livestock Breeding and
foreign exchange earnings in 1989. there, he [virtually always a tusker] seems to be able to sense which is the key
On the other hand, in the past, there were 10000 wild elephants in Myanmar. have ensured that the quality of mahoutship has remained universally high and as
Myanmar is covered in more than 160,000 square miles of forest. younger elephants transition from Trained Calf to Full Grown, their work time
Research efforts for new management techniques should be universal: nutrition,
Thailand (Wood, 1982), and similar stories are legion for old Burma. to themselves and their riders. Besides the very dangerous aunging,
The MTE elephants are a well-managed, classical 19th century
While an initial loss in
elephant catchers.... The Shan and especially the Karen also practised
Lao PDR, Thailand and Myanmar currently have lower elephant populations relative to the amount of available habitat. lift a foot to receive fetters, etc. Three government agencies (the
Elephants are graded into five classes of capacity for work so
work are assigned two mahouts whereas younger animals will have only one
Across Asia, the pace of human development has devastated elephant populations at an alarming rate. to work for five days followed by two days off (Mar, pers. Wild elephants were killed sometimes." The current population is estimated at 1,400-2,000, compared to 10,000 in 1997. If one would want the elephants to … overworked. Nowadays, based on experts’ estimation, there are less than 2000 in the wild.
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